Labeling: Pitch it to your manager as a “seasonal schedule shift” or a “temporary reduced workweek.”

Planning: Redesign your work duties and schedule to show your manager how the job will get done in fewer hours. (Is business slower in the summer anyway? That’s helpful to your case.)

Timing: Present your proposal in May so there are a few weeks for the negotiation and approval process.

Employer savings: Managers are looking for pain-free ways to trim the budget. Emphasize the cost savings that come from your temporarily-reduced salary.

Persuading: If you meet resistance to reducing your hours, point out the closed-end, short-term aspect of the proposal.

Negotiating: Your positioning is that you are remaining a full-time employee—with full-time benefits—during this temporary or seasonal schedule shift. Get written agreement on this point.

Make Your Part-Time Summer Schedule Affordable

Typically, the Fridays off arrangement would have your salary pro-rated to 80% (32 hours out of 40) for the duration. If the financial squeeze looks too tight for you, take a modified approach. For example:

Propose Fridays off for only two months instead of three.

Take every other Friday off. That has you working 72 out of 80 hours, a 10% reduction in pay.

More Tactics for Summer Fridays Success

Set an ambitious part-time arrangement goal to match what you want. Prepare your pitch thoroughly. Then ask for it. But be prepared to have a fall-back position; leaving early every Friday afternoon might be the most your manager will agree to this summer.

Another tactic is to propose a Summer Fridays arrangement as a work team or department. Management might be more receptive if you devise a group approach, for example, half the team alternates Fridays (or Friday afternoons) off with the other half.